Oct. 8, 2018, 5:19 p.m.

Manny Machado, second from left, celebrates his three-run home run with teammate Matt Kemp. (Scott Cunningham / Getty Images)

Baseball is not predicated on violence. The sport revolves around grace and grit, subtlety and subterfuge, deception and dexterity. The game does not celebrate the brutal.

Yet there is no other way to describe what transpired in the seventh inning on Monday: Manny Machado committed a violent act against a baseball, unleashing all his frustration and force on a 95-mph fastball, launching a concussive, three-run homer that solidified the Dodgers’ capture of the National League Division Series with a 6-2 victory in Game 4 over the Braves.

The blast stunned SunTrust Park and delighted the Dodgers. Inside the dugout, Rich Hill gasped. Clayton Kershaw skipped. Cody Bellinger held his arms aloft. Machado popped a wad of Dubble Bubble before rounding the bases. A parade of hitters flowed up the steps to greet him.

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Oct. 8, 2018, 4:58 p.m.

BOTTOM OF EIGHTH: Kenta Maeda pitching. Camargo struck out swinging. Flowers grounded to third. Inciarte singled to center. Culberson singled to right, Inciarte to third. Lucas Duda, batting for the pitcher, hit a long foul ball that the crowd tried to wish fair for a home run. Then he flied to center and Bellinger held up the ball to show the fans to get them to stop that tomahawk chop.

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Oct. 8, 2018, 4:50 p.m.

TOP OF EIGHTH: Matt Kemp, batting for Ferguson, grounded to third. Pederson singled to right-center and was thrown out attempting to stretch it into a double. Turner grounded to second. DODGERS 6, BRAVES 2

Oct. 8, 2018, 3:25 p.m.

BOTTOM OF FIFTH: Albies popped to second. Freeman singled to third on a play Turner should have made. Markakis walked. Camargo grounded to short, but everyone is safe thanks to Machado’s error. Great series by Machado so far. I’d rather have Curtis Granderson back. And that will be it for Rich Hill. His defense and a tight strike zone betrayed him today. Ryan Madson is now pitching. He gets Flowers to pop to the catcher and Inciarte to pop to short. Great pitching by Madson to leave the bases loaded. BRAVES 2, DODGERS 1.

Oct. 8, 2018, 2:57 p.m.

BOTTOM OF FOURTH: Camargo walked. That’s seven walks in this game in 3+ innings. The plate umpire must be getting paid for each walk. Flowers walked. That’s eight walks. Inciarte sacrificed. Runners on second and third, one out. Culberson grounded to third, runners holding. Atlanta rolls the dice and has Kurt Suzuki hit for Foltynewicz. And it pays off. Suzuki singles to left-center, scoring both runners. Acuna grounded to third. Now, can the Atlanta bullpen keep the Dodgers from scoring for the next five innings? BRAVES 2, DODGERS 1.